Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that immigration rules do not prevent the relocation to the UK of high-profile creative artists in Afghanistan with links to the UK at risk under the Taliban.

The UK has a proud history of providing protection for those fleeing war and persecution through our safe and legal routes. Since 2021, we have resettled over 34,500 individuals through the UK’s Afghan schemes.

Given the scale of global displacement, it is unfortunately not possible to offer a pathway to the UK for every person who needs it. The UK’s Afghan schemes were never intended to operate indefinitely, and, on 1 July 2025, the Government announced the closure of the schemes.

Afghans wishing to settle in the UK may apply through existing safe and legal routes for work, study and settlement.